Warp beam



p 1953 R. H. M MILLAN WARP BEAM Filed July 16, 1951 Ric/Mm H. MAM/11w;

INVENTOR- ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 22,1953

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE WARP BEAM Richard H. MacMillan, Grifiin, Ga.

7 Application July 16, 1951, Serial No. 236,943

This invention relates to an improved warp beam and more especially to means for positively locking together the head and barrel portions of a warp beam to prevent relative rotation therebetween. It has been proved by experience that relative rotation or lost motion between the barrel and the head of a warp beam has been one of the main causes of break-downs of warp beams used on high speed warpers, such as the Barber-Coleman, because of the quick starts, sudden stops and very high speeds at which this type of warper is operated. As this lost motion increases with use of the warp beam, shaft nuts break, tie rods shake loose and the beam comes apart generally, frequently causing the barrel to crack open.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a warp beam head which is positively locked in position relative to the barrel to insure that no lost motion will develop and which will be economical to manufacture and maintain.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved head for a warp beam which comprises a plate secured at each end of the beam exteriorly of the beam head and a head locking fitting secured in each end of the beam interiorly of the head and being provided with a plurality of projecting bosses which fit into corresponding sockets in the inner face of the head. The projecting bosses and the sockets are held in engagement with each other by a plurality of longitudinally extending tie rods extending therethrough and through the plates and which are provided to tie together the barrel portion and the head members at each end thereof to form a stronger and more rigid unit.

It is another object of this invention to provide, in a warp beam having a barrelportion and a head member on each end of said barrel'portion, improved means for securing the head members to the barrel portion comprising a circular fitting having an annular flange secured in each end of the barrel and having circularly spaced bosses thereon extending into sockets in said head member, a mating plate engaging the outer surface of each head member, and means for tying the mating plates to the circular fittings to prevent relative movement between the beam barrel and heads.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of the 15Claims. (Cl. 242-124) 2 improved warp beam with the center portion thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end view of the improved warp beam, looking along line 22 at the right-hand side of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the center of the barrel portion of the warp beam and showing a part of the head associated therewith and being taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numerals l0 and II indicate right and left hand heads of a warp beam having a barrel portion broadly designated at 9. Since both ends of this warp beam are identical, only the parts associated with the head it will be describedin detail and like parts of the head I I will bear the same reference characters with the prime notation added. The head H3 is fixedly mounted on a hub portion l2 of a barrel locking fitting broadly designated at l3 which is in the form of a circular plate having an annular flange l4 thereon, for purposes to be later described, and being provided with a plurality of circularly spaced bosses l5 which are adapted to fit into sockets It on the inside face of the warp beam head l0. Suitably secured, as by screws H, to the annular flange Hi of the barrel locking fitting !3 are a plurality of tongue and groove arcuate slats 29 which fit together closely to form the barrel 9 of the warp beam.

To insure that the barrel 9, formed from the arcuate slats 20, maintains the same outside diameter throughout its length, there is provided a pair of support members 2! and M positioned intermediate the ends of the barrel 9 and to which the arcuate slats 20 are secured in any suitable manner, as by screws 22. The support members 2| and 2| have a plurality of longitudinally extending bores 23 and 21%,respectively, therein through which a plurality of tie rods, to be later described, pass. The support members 2! and 2! are provided with centrally disposed bores 24 and 24, respectively, which are penetrated by a transversely extending shaft or lap rod 25. The shaft 25 has a reduced portion 26 on the end thereof and the hub' l2 of the barrel locking fitting l3 is-on the shaft 25 adjacent the reduced portion 26.

The reduced portion '28 of the shaft 25 has mounted thereon a circular pressure plate 21 which is provided with a plurality of circularlyspaced bores to receive a plurality of tie rods 30 which extend from the pressure plate 21 through the head In, the bosses I5, the support members 2| and 2| and through the like parts associated with the opposite head I l. Opposed ends of the tie rods 30 are threaded to receive nuts 3| which, when tightened, will hold the warp heads III and II tightly against the arouate slats 20 which form the barrel 9 and thereby insure that the bosses I5 will be in engagement at all times with the sockets I6 in the heads I and H.

The plate 21 is also preferably provided with a hub portion 32 positioned in the center thereof and surrounding the corresponding reduced portion 26 of the shaft 25 to lend strength thereto and to serve as a handle in removing the plate 21. The tie rods 30 also serve to tighten the plates 2! and '21 against the. shoulders formed by the reduced portions 26 .and25' on the shaft 25.

It is thus seen that when the nuts 31 on the tie rods 30 are tightened to seat the bosses IS in the sockets 16 in the warp head it], the warp head lil will be clamped securely between the fitting i3 and the plate 21 and the bosses l and sockets IE will prevent relative movement or lost motion between the barrel 9 and the warp beam heads l0 and H regardless of how fast the warp beam is rotated or how quickly it is started and stopped.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a, preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a warp beam comprising a barrel, heads for the same, a shaft extending through said barrel and said heads and a plurality of tie rods extending through said barrel and said heads, improved means at each end of said barrel for connecting said heads thereto comprising a fitting positioned in the end of said barrel, said fitting having an annular flange connected to the interior of said barrel, said fitting being positioned flush with the end of said barrel and being provided with a plurality of circularly spaced bosses, each boss having a transverse bore through which the tie rods pass, said fitting also having a hub portion extending through said head and penetrated by said shaft, said head having a plurality of circularly spaced sockets therein for receiving said bosses on said fitting, and a plate member positioned exteriorly of said head and having a plurality of circularly spaced bores therein whereby said tie rods may be positioned in said bores in said plate and pass through the bosses in said fitting to secure the head between said fitting and said circular plate.

2. A warp beam comprising a barrel, a shaft passing through the same and a pair of heads mounted on said shaft, the ends of said shaft extending beyond said heads, a plate engaging the outer face of each of said heads, a fitting positioned in each end of said barrel and engaging the inner surface of each of said heads, each of said fittings having an annular flange secured to said barrel, each of said heads having a plurality of cavities therein, each of said fittings having a plurality of bosses projecting therefrom into said cavities in said heads, and tie rods extending through said barrel, said bosses, said heads and said plates for tying said plates, said heads and said fittings to said barrel.

3. A warp beam comprising a barrel, a shaft passing through the same and a pair of heads mounted on said shaft, the ends of said shaft extending beyond said heads, the ends of sald shaft being reduced to form a shoulder in alinement with the exterior surface of said heads, a pair of barrel locking fittings each engaging the inner face of one of said heads and each being secured in the barrel, each of said barrel locking'fittings having a hub portion penetrated by said shaft, said hub portion extending outwardly to the shoulder on said shaft, a pair of plate members each engaging the outer face of one of said heads and each having an outwardly extending hub portion penetrated by the reduced portion of said shaft, the hub portion of said barrel locking fitting penetrating said head member, and means for clamping each of said head members between said barrel fittings and plates.

4. In a warp beam having a barrel and head members on opposed ends of the barrel and an axially positioned shaft extending through the barrel, an improved means for mounting said head members comprising a circular fitting secured in each end of the barrel with its outer surface flush with the corresponding end of the barrel, a plurality of spaced bosses projecting from the outer surface of each fitting, each of said head members having a plurality of cavities therein coinciding with the bosses and in which said bosses are disposed, an outwardly projecting hub portion on each fitting penetrated by said shaft and penetrating said corresponding head member, a reduced portion on each end of the shaft forming a shoulder flush with the outer end of each hub portion, a plate mounted on each of said reduced portions of the shaft and abutting the outer surface of each of said shoulders on the shaft, the outer surface of the corresponding hub portion and the outer surface of the corresponding head member, and a plurality of tie rods extending between and penetrating said fittings, said head members and said plates for securing the head members to opposed ends of the barrel.

5.'In a structure according to claim 4, said tierods slidably penetrating the bosses on the circular fittings, and means on opposed ends of each tie rod engaging the outer surfaces of the plates for tightening the head members against the ends of the barrel.

RICHARD H. MACMILLAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,673,040 Bureau June 12, 1928 1,741,800 Washburn Dec. 31, 1929 2,148,394 Thornton Feb. 21, 1939 

